1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a front panel driving apparatus for a car audio system that includes a display portion occupying most of the front surface of the car audio system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a front panel driving apparatus promoting more smooth and stabilized operation of the front panel as it opens/closes.
2. Background of the Related Art
Increasing importance has been placed on in-car entertainment systems, especially car audio systems, as one of essential components of a car. Recently, various kinds of media players have been mounted in cars.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,168 discloses a flip down system, in which the car audio system comprises a front display panel, the front panel being vertically translated as recording media is inserted or taken out.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a front panel driving apparatus for a car audio system according to a related art. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing part of the front panel driving apparatus for a car audio system according to the related art.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the front panel driving apparatus includes a driving motor 10 formed on a main chassis (not shown), a gear train 12 for transferring a driving force of the driving motor 10, and a driving pinion 20 engaged with a final gear of the gear train 12, being formed on the main chassis.
More specifically, the driving pinion 20 is composed of a large gear portion 22 and a small gear portion 24, both being in a cylindrical shape. The large gear portion 22 is engaged with the final gear of the gear train 12, and the small gear portion 24 is interlocked with a rack 28.
Also, a slider 25 that slides back and forth is disposed on the top of a lower surface of the main chassis, and both ends of the slider 25 and its bottom surface are supported by a plurality of sliding structures.
It is considered very important to leave a space between the main chassis and the slider 25 for the sake of convenience of assembling work, and for more smooth motion of the slider 25 when the front panel is in operation.
The slider 25 is a plate in a designated shape. A panel connection ball (e.g. roller) 26 is formed at the end of the slider 25 to help the front panel (not shown) of the car audio system to rotate vertically around the connection ball 26.
Operational principles of the conventional front panel driving apparatus for the car audio system are now explained. The driving force from the driving motor 10 is transferred to the driving pinion 20, more particularly, to the large gear portion 22, through the gear train 12. The rotational force upon the driving pinion 20, on the other hand, is transferred to the rack 28 that is engaged with the small gear portion 24 of the driving pinion 20. In this way, the driving force from the driving motor 10 is transferred to the rack 28, making the rack 28 move horizontally. This horizontal motion of the rack 28 is transferred to the slider 25, and as a result, the slider 25 slides in or out of the main chassis.
The slide's horizontal motion is then converted to a motion of the front panel connected to the panel connection ball 26, consequently opening or closing the front panel.
However, several drawbacks were observed in the above-described related art.
As described before, there is a designated space in the vertical direction between the slider 25 and the main chassis that supports the slider 25. This space sometimes allows an external vibration to be transferred to the slider 25. Such vibration resultantly shakes the car audio front panel that is connected to the front end portion of the slider 25. This vibration of the front panel can also damage other compartments or cause a mechanical trouble. This problem occurs more frequently under difficult driving conditions, such as, on bumpy roads, and most of drivers become irritated by the vibration movement of the front panel.
However, it is not a good idea to reduce the space between the slider 25 and the main chassis to prevent the vibration of the front panel because this only makes assembling the slider and front panel more difficult. Moreover, in so doing, the slider 25 could fall into around the main chassis.